Troubleshooting MOBOTIX M73 Camera's Night Vision Quality

1

Hello Everyone :hugs:,

Regarding a problem I’m having with my MOBOTIX M73 camera’s night vision quality, I’m looking for guidance and support. Although the daytime footage quality of the camera I recently installed at my house to improve security is outstanding, I am having serious problems in the night vision functionality.

The details regarding my setup and the issues I’m having are as follows:

Configuration Information:

Model of Camera: MOBOTIX M73 Firmware 7.0.1.44 is the version
Location of Installation: Roughly ten feet high, mounted near the main entrance.
illumination conditions: occasionally bright automobile headlights mixed with ambient street illumination.

Problems Met:

Low Image Clarity: There is a noticeable lack of detail and graininess in the night vision footage. During the night, objects that are clearly distinguished during the daytime become blurry and difficult to detect.

IR Reflection: I believe that the strong IR reflection from adjacent surfaces is a factor in the low image quality. Bright patches are being produced by this reflection, making it harder to see other places properly.

Motion Blur: Motion blur becomes more noticeable when there’s movement, such someone walking by, making it harder to distinguish specific people.

Actions Undertaken:

  • IR angle and intensity were adjusted.
  • the most recent firmware update.
  • made sure there are no obstacles and cleaned the camera lens.

played around with various camera settings, such as contrast and brightness.
The quality of night vision has not improved much in spite of these attempts. Any advice or suggestions from the community which could assist in resolving these problems would be highly appreciated.

I also followed this :point_right: https://community.mobotix.com/t/low-image-quality-in-low-light-situations/minitab

  • What particular configurations or settings have you found to be effective? :thinking:
  • Would it be advantageous to install more exterior lighting? :thinking:

Thank you :pray: in advance.

2

Les paramètres qui doivent être ajustés pour l’utilisation d’un module de capteur LPF sont les suivants :

  • Contraste automatique : Désactivé
  • Luminosité moyenne : 40%
  • Luminosité moyenne minimale : 20 %
  • Amélioration de nuit : Désactivé
  • Plage de gain du capteur : Élevée
  • Temps d’exposition : Max 1/250, Min. 1/16000
3

Hello!

You are mentioning motion blur and graininess which tells you that there is lack of light or camera metering (light measuring for exposure) is not set correctly for the night.
I suggest two things:

Set the “Max exposure time” to 1/30 or better 1/60 and adjust the “Sensor gain range” and start with “Low” setting. Why?
Long exposure time (like 1/10s or 1/5s) brightens the image, but you get motion blur.
Sensor gain compensates low light by amplifying the light sensor sensitivity but you get more noise (graininess).
When you find your right setting (there is no more blur and graininess) you will get darker image., but maybe it will be enough to see what you want. If not, then you start to add more IR light.

If you are not using WDR, check out the “Exposure control” settings and adjust the “Exposure windows” part. Make sure the measures incoming light in area which has most average lighting conditions. By default it is the Center, but your scene may have sides more filled with light.

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions just post them and maybe even add screenshot of the camera image.